Cunningham was selected to contest the Coventry South East
constituency at the 1992 general
election following the expulsion of the sitting Labour MP Dave Nellist who had
now decided to contest the seat as an Independent Labour candidate.
The contest proved tough and bitter[1], but Jim
Cunningham came in as the victor with a majority of 1,311 votes
over the Conservative candidate Martine
Hyams; Nellist finished third but only by a further 40 votes.
Cunningham has remained an MP since. He made his maiden speech on
May 12, 1992[2]. After boundary
changes his constituency was abolished but he has represented the
new seat of Coventry South since the 1997 general
election.

In 2004 he led a Parliamentary campaign to prevent Jaguar Cars closing its
Browns Lane, Coventry, assembly plant, and in the past he has
called for the Queen to pay income tax. He has been
married to Marion Douglas Podmore since 1985 and they have a son
and daughter each from previous marriages.